Tulipleaf's Beginnings
by Whitestormfan
Summary: Tulipkit is a member of Riverclan,along with her brother,Lavakit.She doesn't know her mother,and she wants to find out.When they become apprentices, Lavapaw disappears.Tulippaw wonders where he is,only to discover that he left to join Shadowclan.She soon finds out why.
1. Allegiances

ALLEGIANCES:

RIVERCLAN

LEADER Mistystar-blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes

DEPUTY Sagefur-light gray tom with sage green eyes

MEDICINE CAT Willowheart-light blue she-cat with hazel eyes

WARRIORS

Frostream-white she-cat with ocean blue eyes

Apprentice,Hollypaw

Grizzlyclaw-dark brown tabby tom

Rainfrost-pure white she-cat with beautiful blue eyes

Firewhisker-dark red tom with yellow eyes

Navypelt-dark blue tom with blue-green eyes

Frostleaf-white she-cat

Obsidianwhisker-dark red tom with jet black whiskers

Sootwhisker-light gray tom

APPRENTICES

Hollypaw-tortoiseshell she-cat

QUEENS

Hollystream-black she-cat with emerald eyes(mother of Petalkit and Leafkit)

Cloudpool-white tabby she-cat with blue eyes(mother of Sakurakit)

SHADOWCLAN

LEADER Blackstar-white tom with jet black feet

DEPUTY Rowanclaw-dark ginger tom  


MEDICINE CAT Sweetpelt-swirled tortoiseshell she-cat

WARRIORS

Tigerfrost-mottled dark brown tom

Eagleclaw-tabby tom with amber eyes

Cloudfeather-soft white tabby she-cat

Petalfoot-light pink she-cat

Apprentice,Hawkpaw(dark brown tabby tom)

Brackenfall-light bracken colored tom

Apprentice,Skypaw(blue and white tom)

Barkfrost-very dark brown tom

Daisycloud-pale pink she-cat

Cloudfrost-white tom with blue eyes

Apprentice, Dragonpaw(pure white she-cat with blue eyes)

Dapplefall-dappled calico she-cat

Plumleaf-light purple she-cat with leaf green eyes

Apprentice, Pearpaw (tortoiseshell she-cat with light green eyes)


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Tulipkit opened her eyes. Her pink-white pelt was ruffled from sleep. I hope Petalkit, Sakurakit,and Leafkit are up, she thought. She stood up and moved around. "Hey, Tulipkit! Guess what?" meowed an excited voice. "What, Lavakit?" Tulipkit asked. Her brother's red pelt was pricked with excitement. "Grizzlyclaw told me that we were going to become apprentices today! All of us!" he meowed loudly. Behind them, Cloudpool began to stir. "Lavakit,could you keep it down?I'm trying to sleep." she meowed. She was their foster mother. As far as the kits knew, they had no mother. The Clan suspected that Tulipkit and Lavakit's mother was a kittypet, and they were constantly taunted about it. "Sorry. I'm just so excited that we're all becoming apprentices today!" Cloudpool's ears twitched with interest. "Really?" mewed Petalkit, Sakurakit, and Leafkit. Cloudpool began grooming Petalkit and Leafkit. Hollystream, the other queen in the nursery, began grooming Sakurakit. Tulipkit looked at her brother and noticed he looked troubled. "What's wrong?" she mouthed to him. "Nothing." he mouthed back. He turned his back to her. Cloudpool gestured to Tulipkit with her tail,and Hollystream did the same for Lavakit. When they were finished,the kits heard the familiar call from Mistystar. "Let all cats who are old enough to swim gather to hear my words!" Tulipkit came out of the nursery,quivering with excitement. Petalkit,Sakurakit,Leafkit,and Lavakit followed her. Mistystar waited for everyone to be assembled and began. "We are gathered here today to witness the naming of apprentices. Tulipkit,Petalkit,Sakurakit,and Lavakit,you have all reached the age of six moons,and are ready to become apprentices." "Tulipkit, from this day on,you will be known as Tulippaw. Your mentor will be Rainfrost. I hope Rainfrost will pass down all she knows on you." Mistystar turned to Rainfrost. "Rainfrost,you are ready to take on another apprentice. You are lucky enough to have received training from me and you have shown yourself to be a loyal warrior. You will mentor Tulippaw,and I expect you to pass on all you know to her." Rainfrost approached Tulippaw and touched noses with her. Tulippaw watched Petalkit, Sakurakit, Leafkit,and Lavakit receive their names and mentors. Sakurapaw got Firewhisker, Lavapaw got Sagefur, Leafpaw got Grizzlyclaw, and Petalpaw got Obsidianwhisker. They all seemed satisfied,but Lavapaw looked troubled. Sagefur is strict, she thought. The Clan disbanded and went back to their separate duties. Rainfrost came to Tulippaw and meowed "Come on,I'll show you our territory. Then maybe I can teach you how to fish." Tulippaw already knew all of the territory because Grizzlyclaw told her about it,but she didn't want to object. She finally said something. "Rainfrost,that sounds great, but Grizzlyclaw told me about the territory." Tulippaw meowed. Rainfrost looked surprised,but her eyes were soft. "Okay then." she replied. They approached the river. Rainfrost turned to Tulippaw and asked "What is the most important thing to do while fishing?" Tulippaw's mind was blank, but she took a guess. "Make sure not to let your shadow fall on the water?" Rainfrost cocked her head at her. "How do you know this?" she asked curiously. "Grizzlyclaw told me. He wanted me to be informed." Rainfrost's blue eyes clouded over for a second, but they cleared. She shook herself and continued. "Now, I will explain how to properly fish. To properly fish,you need to..." When she finished, Tulippaw tried out the method. She barely missed the fish. "Nice try!" Rainfrost meowed encouragingly. A cat was running from behind Tulippaw. Rainfrost was about to yowl a warning, but Tulippaw turned around. Lavapaw? She thought in disbelief. What is going on?


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lavapaw watched Tulippaw disappear with Rainfrost. His mentor, Sagefur, turned to him. "I will show you the territory now, and then I will show you how to properly fish." Lavapaw, like his sister, had already been shown the territory by their father, Grizzlyclaw. Grizzlyclaw really had high hopes for his kits to be great warriors. Then Sagefur seemed to realize what Lavapaw was about to say and meowed "Okay,change of plans. I will be teaching you how to properly fish instead." Lavapaw followed his mentor. He felt uneasy. Starclan have been trying to tell me something. They keep telling me something about shadows. Shadow... shadows..Wait, Shadowclan! There's something Starclan want me to know about Shadowclan, he thought. He was suddenly aware of Sagefur asking him a question. "What?" Lavapaw asked, feeling stupid. Sagefur sighed. "I said,what is the one thing to always do while you are fishing?" "I see you will be an interesting one to train." Lavapaw heard him mutter. I'll show you! He wanted to hiss. "To be fast?" Lavapaw answered lamely. "Correct." Sagefur meowed curtly. "I will explain to you how to catch a fish. To catch a fish, you need to first.." When he had finished, Sagefur curled his tail on the ground and sat. "Now,you try." Lavapaw gingerly stepped close to the river, trying to spot a fish. There! He fixed his eyes on a trout swimming so close to him, it was practically begging to be caught. Careful not to let his shadow show on the water, Lavapaw swiped out his paw. He caught it! "Try again!" Sagefur encouraged. He sounds bored, Lavapaw thought. Well, I'll impress him! He slowly used the same method, only way closer to the water. He swiped his paw next to the water. He missed the fish and slipped on a stone. He was in the water! Lavapaw didn't know how to swim! He hadn't been taught! Sagefur dived in. With strong strokes, he quickly reached Lavapaw. "I'm surprised that Grizzlyclaw didn't teach you how to swim already." he meowed. He grabbed Lavapaw by the scruff and put him down next to the river. Sagefur meowed "Let's try teaching you how to swim before we do anything else." He explained to Lavapaw how to swim and had him try it for what seemed like forever. This went on for a while until Sagefur finally meowed "Training is over for today." He ran as fast as he could back to camp. A sudden thought nagged him. What about the shadow dream? Lavapaw was eager to sleep. He brought back his fish and plopped it on the pile. He quickly ran into the apprentice's den and fell asleep. He was in a forest, in the middle of Shadowclan camp. Shadows surrounded him. He heard a voice calling him. "Lavapaw, come here." He followed the voice and came up to a pink-white she-cat that looked like a copy of Tulippaw. "I'm Petalfoot, Lavapaw." the she-cat meowed. So? He thought. As if reading his thoughts, Petalfoot replied "I'm your mother, Lavapaw." she meowed. He awoke with a jolt. It was moonrise. Lavapaw had to leave! He stealthily sneaked back Sootwhisker, who was on first watch. No turning back, he thought as he headed toward Shadowclan territory.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Tulippaw woke up. She stretched out and noticed Lavapaw wasn't in his nest. His scent was stale. It looked as if he hadn't been there for a while. I wonder if Sagefur took him out really early for training. Sagefur is really serious about training his apprentices, she thought. Rainfrost peered into the den. "Tulippaw, come with me." She sounded worried. Tulippaw followed, wondering what was wrong. She heard Sagefur arguing with Mistystar. Sagefur's still here? Where's Lavapaw?Something is very wrong, she thought. "I just think.." Mistystar and Sagefur's argument broke off quickly when they saw Tulippaw. "Tulippaw, have you seen your brother at all? He's not anywhere in camp." Mistystar meowed anxiously. Tulippaw was about to meow snidely "Do you really think I've seen him? I just got up." But she didn't want to be disrespectful to her leader,so she meowed politely, "I haven't seen him, Mistystar." "We sent a patrol to look for him. They should be back soon." Sagefur added hopefully. Just as he said it, the patrol (that consisted of Sootwhisker and Navypelt), arrived. "Did you find his scent?" Rainfrost asked. "We did, actually." Sootwhisker answered, his voice shaking and his gray pelt on end. Something's wrong, Tulippaw thought yet again. "We found Lavapaw's scent. We followed it to the Shadowclan border." Navypelt meowed. "Was his scent inside Shadowclan's territory? And were there any Shadowclan cats scented inside the border, along with Lavapaw?" Sagefur inquired. Navypelt stiffened. "He was scented in Shadowclan's border, all right. There were no other cats scented with him. Just Lavapaw's scent." Mistystar, Rainfrost, and Sagefur all looked horrified out of their wits. "How are we going to tell Grizzlyclaw?" Tulippaw heard Mistystar mutter. "Are you saying that Lavapaw left-" Tulippaw began to ask. Navypelt cut her off and nodded his head. "Yes. Lavapaw left of his own accord." he answered. Tulippaw's blood froze to shards of ice. Lavapaw, why did you leave for Shadowclan? She thought. Tulippaw suddenly thought of a reason that made her realize why he left. To find our mother, she thought. And he's probably going to go to every other Clan until he finds her. "He left because he wants to find our mother." Tulippaw accidentally muttered out loud. Rainfrost turned to her. "What did you say?" she asked curiously. "I think Lavapaw left because he wanted to find our mother. He was finally tired of being taunted by cats from other Clans and wanted to prove that he wasn't half kittypet." Tulippaw repeated loudly. She turned to Rainfrost. "I think we should fetch Willowheart. Sagefur doesn't look good." she meowed softly. Sagefur had started breathing quicker and he sounded as if he was in shock. "Willowheart!" yowled Rainfrost. At once, the pretty light purple she-cat came out of the medicine cat den. Willowheart padded to Mistystar and mewed quietly "Can you somehow get him to the medicine cat den? I need to give him something to get him out of his shock." Mistystar nodded and brought him to the den, Willowheart following closely. "Okay, let's start training for today." Rainfrost meowed briskly, as if nothing had just happened. Tulippaw followed her out of camp, wondering if she could actually concentrate during training and how Rainfrost could completely ignore everything that just happened.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Lavapaw slowly came into the Shadowclan border, wondering what awaited him on the other side. He noticed a patrol coming straight toward him. Almost immediately, the leader, a dark brown tom, spotted him. "What are you doing on our border, fish-breath?" the tom sneered. Lavapaw noticed that the patrol had begun to unsheathe their claws. He began to unsheathe his too, just in case. The patrol was just about to spring on him when a light purple she-cat meowed "Tigerfrost, calm down. Do you really think that Riverclan would send an apprentice to spy?" The cat called Tigerfrost answered "All the same, we're taking you to Blackstar." Lavapaw was filled with dread. What am I going to say to Blackstar? He thought. He was then aware of Tigerfrost, who was meowing "Here's Blackstar's den." They led him into a den that had a hazel bush hanging over it. Blackstar was sitting in a corner, washing himself. "What is it?" he meowed, sounding annoyed. "Blackstar, we found this Riverclan apprentice on our border." Tigerfrost meowed, "Well, why have your brought him to me? Take him to the edge of our border, and make sure he stays there." Blackstar replied, his fur bristling. Lavapaw's spirits faded. Just as the patrol was going to escort him to the border, a young tortoiseshell she-cat meowed politely "Blackstar, I think this apprentice has the right to say why he is here." Blackstar glared at her, but replied "I suppose, Pearpaw. I'll let him speak." Lavapaw began. "Well, I left my Clan because I wanted to find my mother. I'm determined to find out who she is, so I can prove to the fox-hearts that think I'm half kittypet that I'm not! I want to join your Clan, if only for a short while." Blackstar was still taking in everything Lavapaw told him. "I don't like it, but Shadowclan needs more apprentices. All right, I'll let you join Shadowclan for one moon. If you still want to stay, then you can." Blackstar offered. "Okay." Lavapaw replied. Blackstar rose and came out of his den. The patrol followed, Lavapaw trailing behind. Who will Blackstar choose for my mentor? He wondered. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Lowbranch for a Clan meeting!" Blackstar yowled. The cats of Shadowclan all came out, looking confused. "I smell Riverclan." Lavapaw heard a tom snarl. He came to where Blackstar stood on the Lowbranch. "You are probably wondering why this Riverclan apprentice is here." Blackstar yowled, spitting out the word "Riverclan." "Shadowclan has very few apprentices in training at the moment, and this young cat is willing to join Shadowclan." There arose many exclamations. "Shadowclan will not take him in!" "Blackstar, what are you doing?" "Blackstar, stop trying to imitate Thunderclan!" a very dark brown tabby tom challenged. Blackstar glared at the tom. "Barkfrost, don't question my authority. I know what I'm doing." he hissed. The cat called Barkfrost glared at Lavapaw. Blackstar meowed quietly to Lavapaw "What is your name?" "Lavapaw." Lavapaw replied. Blackstar turned back to his Clan. "Lavapaw, you have left your home in Riverclan, and have requested to become a member of Shadowclan. It is now time for you to receive a mentor. Your mentor will be Tigerfrost." the Clan leader announced. Turning to Tigerfrost, he meowed, "Tigerfrost, you are ready to take on another apprentice. You have received excellent training from Rowanclaw, and you have shown yourself to be loyal to your Clan above everything else. I hope you will pass on all you know to Lavapaw." Tigerfrost got up and touched noses with Lavapaw. "Lavapaw! Lavapaw!" Shadowclan cheered halfheartedly. The Clan disbanded, and Lavapaw was ready to start the day.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Come on." Tigerfrost meowed gruffly. Lavapaw followed Tigerfrost toward a row of dens. "Here's the nursery, apprentice's den, warrior's den, leader's den, and the elder's den." his mentor meowed, flicking his tail toward each den in turn. "Who are all of the apprentices here?" Lavapaw meowed curiously. "I knew you were going to ask that. Well, there's Dragonpaw, Pearpaw, Skypaw, and Hawkpaw." Tigerfrost answered, sounding slightly annoyed. He turned away from him and began to walk toward a couple of pine trees. Lavapaw followed him, getting mud stuck all over his belly fur and paws. How can Shadowclan stand it? Lavapaw thought. When he reached Tigerfrost, he began. "I'm going to teach you how to catch frogs. In case you did not know, in Shadowclan, we mostly eat frogs, lizards, and the occasional rat or two." Lavapaw shuddered. "Get used to it." Tigerfrost growled, showing no hint of sympathy. "So, I will now demonstrate catching a frog." He sniffed the air for frog scent. Finally scenting one, he dropped into a crouch. He stalked the frog, and then pounced. He killed the frog with a bite to the throat and dropped it close to Lavapaw. "That is how you catch a frog." Tigerfrost concluded. He cocked his head to the side as if he was waiting for something. Lavapaw understood, and he began to look for a frog, because he didn't know what a frog's scent was. He spotted one, and tried his best to copy his mentor's moves. He slowly stalked the frog, and at the last second, he pounced. The frog tried to leap away with it's long legs, but Lavapaw sank his claws into the frog and killed it. He suddenly heard Tigerfrost. "Not bad." he admitted, sounding.. impressed? "I can see that you are a fast learner." he muttered. Lavapaw glowed with pride. I can't wait to show the other apprentices, and Barkfrost. Lavapaw wanted to see Barkfrost's face when he showed him the frog he caught. "Lavapaw!" Tigerfrost growled. Lavapaw was snapped out of his thoughts and answered sheepishly, "What?" "You're not paying attention." Tigerfrost snapped, sounding short-tempered and annoyed. "I said, I'm going to teach you now how to scent a frog." he spat. He began to explain how to scent a frog.

The rest of the day rushed by. Before Lavapaw knew it, training was over and he was free to go back to camp. He ran back as fast as he could, dropping his frog on the fresh-kill pile. He headed toward the apprentice's den, wanting to talk to the apprentices. A white she-cat with ice blue eyes was sitting in a corner. "Hi." Lavapaw found himself meowing to the she-cat. The she-cat turned to Lavapaw. "Hi. You're Lavapaw, right?" Lavapaw nodded. "I'm Dragonpaw." the she-cat added. Lavapaw suddenly remembered the reason he came to Shadowclan. "Dragonpaw, by any chance is there a warrior named Petalfoot?" Dragonpaw stared at him. "Yeah. Why do you ask?" she answered curiously. "I was just wondering." Lavapaw answered. Dragonpaw looked as if she didn't believe him, but she didn't say anything. "I wonder how Tulippaw and Grizzlyclaw are." Lavapaw murmured. "Who's Tulippaw and Grizzlyclaw?" Dragonpaw asked. "Grizzlyclaw is my father, and Tulippaw is my sister." "Do they know where you are?" Dragonpaw asked. "No." Lavapaw answered. Dragonpaw's eyes widened.

I'm going to find Tulippaw, Dragonpaw thought, and tell her just where her brother is!


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Training seemed to take a lifetime. Tulippaw couldn't concentrate on anything Rainfrost said, and she only caught one fish. Finally Rainfrost understood, and she sent her back to camp. Now she was in the apprentice's den, eating a fish. Petalpaw and Sakurapaw were behind her, happily chatting about their day. Tulippaw wondered how Lavapaw's day was, and if Shadowclan at least made an attempt to "welcome" Lavapaw. Petalpaw's voice broke through her thoughts. "Tulippaw.. I'm really sorry about Lavapaw." the apprentice meowed sympathetically. "I don't want or need sympathy." Tulippaw snarled. Petalpaw flinched, and Tulippaw immediately apologized. "Sorry. It's just that I hate it when cats fuss over me." Tulippaw explained. Petalpaw and Sakurapaw nodded. "I'm really tired. I'm going to sleep." Tulippaw meowed, yawning. "Good night!" Sakurapaw called softly, "Good night!" Tulippaw padded over to her nest and fell asleep.

"Hey! Wake up!" "Wha.." Tulippaw woke up blearily. She looked up, and a white she-cat with ice blue eyes stood over her. She had the rank scent of Shadowclan! What is a Shadowclan apprentice doing in our camp? Tulippaw thought. She immediately got up, fur bristling, and hissed softly. "It's okay. I'm not here to invade your territory." the she-cat mewed softly. "Who are you?" Tulippaw growled. "I'm Dragonpaw. I know where your brother is." Tulippaw's mouth dropped open. "Where is he?" she asked cautiously. "Lavapaw is in Shadowclan camp." Dragonpaw answered. "How can I trust you?" Tulippaw growled. "You can trust me. I'll lead you right to him. I swear on Silverpelt." Dragonpaw meowed solemnly. "Okay." Tulippaw gave in. She began to follow the apprentice out of the camp. Dragonpaw easily sneaked past Frostleaf, who was on guard. Tulippaw took a little longer, and she fell behind slightly. I wonder why this apprentice wants to show me where Lavapaw is,Tulippaw thought. "We're almost here." Dragonpaw meowed. Tulippaw noticed that the trees were turning into pines, and the reek of Shadowclan loomed closer. She held her breath as the stench became more and more overpowering. "Get down!" Dragonpaw hissed. "Roll in some mud to disguise your scent." Tulippaw found a mud puddle and rolled vigorously in it. They slipped past the light purple she-cat who was on guard. Dragonpaw began to lead Tulippaw towards the apprentice den. She suddenly stopped, and mewed very softly, "Take a look. Your brother is in there." Tulippaw poked her head in, and saw an all-too familiar orange pelt. Lavapaw! She turned to Dragonpaw. "Thanks for showing me where he is." Tulippaw meowed gratefully. Dragonpaw dipped her head and answered, "You're welcome. Can you find your way back to camp?" "I think so." Tulippaw answered. She turned out of Shadowclan's camp and followed their scent trail home. When she neared the lake, she quickly dove into it to wash the mud off. It easily came off, and Tulippaw slipped back into Riverclan camp in no time. She quietly lay down in her nest and fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A moon had passed since Tulippaw had traveled with Dragonpaw to the Shadowclan camp. Tulippaw had been chosen to go to the Gathering, along with Sakurapaw and several warriors. I wonder if Lavapaw and Dragonpaw will be here, she thought as Riverclan approached the island where the Gathering was held. She smelled the scent of Thunderclan and Windclan, but Shadowclan hadn't arrived yet. Sakurapaw settled down next to her. "Our first Gathering!" she squealed excitedly. "You might see Lavapaw too." she added. Tulippaw caught the rank scent of Shadowclan, and Blackstar bounded to the rock where the leaders all sat. Tulippaw scanned the cats of Shadowclan, trying to spot Lavapaw. "There he is! Oh, and Dragonpaw. Just great." She muttered softly. Lavapaw spotted her too, and Dragonpaw was already making her way towards Tulippaw. When they were all settled next to each other, Tulippaw hissed at Lavapaw. "Why did you leave us? Everyone was so worried." Lavapaw glared at her and didn't answer. Dragonpaw meowed angrily "I even had to bring Tulippaw in the middle of Shadowclan camp just so she could see you!" Her eyes were now.. green? "Dragonpaw, why your eyes.." Tulippaw began to ask. "Doesn't matter." Dragonpaw growled. Lavapaw suddenly seemed to realize what Dragonpaw said and yowled very loudly, "YOU DID WHAT?" Every cat in the Gathering stared at Lavapaw. "If you don't mind, Lavapaw, we're about to start a Gathering. Don't yowl so loudly that every cat in Starclan can hear." Blackstar, the leader of Shadowclan, hissed. The leaders began to announce what was going on in their Clans. "When I get mad, my eyes change color. I was born a Powerkit." Dragonpaw meowed to Tulippaw. Tulippaw nodded. "Lavapaw, was it really necessary to yowl like badger sat on you?" Sakurapaw meowed, her eyes sparkling. Tulippaw and Dragonpaw began to laugh. "Shhh!" hissed a dark brown tom who was sitting in front of them. He flicked them with his tail. "Shut up, Barkfrost." Dragonpaw hissed. It was now Blackstar's turn to speak, and he said something that made Tulippaw's blood run cold. "We scented a trail that led from Riverclan's border to Shadowclan camp. It was a cat from Riverclan. Mistystar, do you know why this happened?" he asked, a voice full of anger. Mistystar looked puzzled. "I have no idea why this happened." she answered smoothly. Blackstar looked like he wanted to protest, but he said nothing. "Do any of the leaders have anything else to say?" Onestar, the leader of Windclan, meowed. When all heads shook no, he added, The Gathering has now come to an end." "Riverclan, let's go." Mistystar called briskly to her Clan. Tulippaw walked with Sakurapaw towards her Clanmates. "So, did you like the Gathering?" asked Sakurapaw. "It was okay." Tulippaw answered. "I wonder which cat's scent trail that was." Sakurapaw wondered out loud. "Me too, Sakurapaw." Tulippaw replied. I hope no cat ever finds out what happened that night, Tulippaw thought.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Lavapaw felt very nervous._ Today's my first assessment! _He thought. He began to pad towards the training area. When he had reached it, Tigerfrost began to speak to Lavapaw. "This is your first assessment, so you probably don't know that we have 2 warriors assess you. Obviously you'll have me assessing you, and…" He was cut off by a light pink she-cat. "Me." She added. She looks familiar… Lavapaw thought. "Now, try hunting… anything you can find." Tigerfrost meowed. Lavapaw took off in a frenzy. He sniffed the air to see if he could scent any prey. Frog! He crept up to it and came very close to it. Suddenly the ground began to sink under him. He was being sucked into the mud! "Help!" Lavapaw yowled. The light pink she-cat who was assessing him ran out from behind a tree. She advanced toward him, making sure not to come too close. Grabbing a stick in her jaws, she pushed it at Lavapaw. "Grab on to this!" she yowled. Lavapaw stuck his mud-drenched paw on the stick. He managed to grab hold of it and the she-cat dragged him out. "Thanks." Lavapaw shivered. "Oh, and, what is your name? You look familiar." He added. The she-cat looked surprised, but answered, "My name is Petalfoot."

Lavapaw began to shake. _That's my mother!_


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Petalfoot cocked her head to the side. _Why is he staring at me as if I grew another head? _she thought. Finally Lavapaw spoke. "Petalfoot... came to me in a dream.. told me to..." he murmured. _What is he meowing about? _Petalfoot thought. She was suddenly plunged into her memories. Two kits, one pink-white and one light red. "I name the she-kit Tulipkit, after my favorite flower." The dark tabby who was beside Petalfoot only grunted at his daughter's naming. "And I name the tom Lavapaw, because of his red pelt" the tabby meowed. "He is destined for greatness..." he added softly. Petalfoot came out of her memories and looked Lavapaw down from head to tail. "Lavapaw!" she meowed, recognizing her son. She came to her and curled her tail around him. Lavapaw shied away, hissing. "Where have you been for the past six moons?" he hissed, his eyes glittering with hostility. "How could you leave us?" Petalfoot sighed. "Sit down, and I'll tell you the whole story." Lavapaw obeyed, but growled softly. Petalfoot began. "Six moons ago, you and your sister were born. Your father, Grizzlyclaw, thought differently than me on many things, and we began to argue over pointless matters, sunrise after sunrise. When you and Tulippaw were about two moons old, the arguing turned into threats, and finally I couldn't take it anymore. I left Riverclan for Shadowclan. We stopped being mates, and I have a new one." Lavapaw spit fury at her when she was finished. "So you're telling me that you left Riverclan for your own personal benefit? How selfish can you get?" Petalfoot sighed. "You'll never understand." "You're right, I won't understand. I won't understand why you left us, you selfish traitor! And who is your new so-called mate? He needs to know about this for his own sake." Lavapaw hissed. Petalfoot answered, "My mate is Tigerfrost. Please don't tell him!" she begged. "Why shouldn't I?" Lavapaw growled dangerously.

Lavapaw thought, _Oh great. Tigerfrost._


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Tulippaw deposited her three fish onto the fresh-kill pile. Petalpaw, Leafpaw, and Sakurapaw trailed behind her. "I can't believe how well I passed the assessment!" Tulippaw murmured to herself. "Maybe Grizzlyclaw will finally leave me alone and be proud of how I did, instead of trying to "help"." she growled. Ever since Grizzlyclaw had learned that his daughter has passed her first assessment, he had been annoying Tulippaw about it constantly. Every day she came back to a disappointed meow. "You could have done better." "Next time, try going much faster." "If you had done that, you would have been helping your Clan even more." No matter how hard Tulippaw tried, it wasn't good enough. The warrior assessment was coming up, and a lot of extra stress was being put on her! "Tulippaw?" a voice asked. Tulippaw came back to reality and answered the voice. "Yes, Leafpaw?" Leafpaw looked at her shyly. "Umm.. do you want to share this fish with me?" he asked, gesturing to the plump salmon next to him. "Your favorite.." he added weakly. "Sure." Tulippaw replied, avoiding nudges from Petalpaw and Sakurapaw. They always tease her about Leafpaw. They were certain that one day she and Leafpaw would be mates. Tulippaw moved away from them and followed Leafpaw to the entrance of the apprentice's den. They sat down and Leafpaw pushed the fish toward her. "You get first bite." he offered. Tulippaw took a large chunk of fish in her teeth and chewed it, savoring its flavor. "Do you want to talk?" Leafpaw asked. "You seem really tense and on-edge lately." Tulippaw thought and decided to tell him about her issues with Grizzlyclaw. When she was finished, Leafpaw nodded sympathetically. "Why don't you tell him that he needs to stop it?" he asked. Tulippaw sighed. "I can't. That's not how it works. It's complicated." Leafpaw leaned closer to her, resting the tip of his tail on Tulippaw's shoulder. They stayed there for a moment, and pulled apart. "What are we going to do with this?" Leafpaw asked, pointing with his paw to the salmon. "Eat it." Tulippaw answered. A heartbeat later, she decimated half of the salmon. Pushing the rest toward Leafpaw, she meowed in a tired voice, "I'm going to get some sleep." She moved towards the apprentice's den. "Good night." She came inside and settled into her nest. As she fell asleep, Tulippaw wondered how she would explain to Petalpaw and Sakurapaw her dinner with Leafpaw.

"Wake up!" a gruff voice meowed. Tulippaw sat up immediately, scenting Shadowclan. Before she could utter a snarl, the cat spoke. "It's me, Lavapaw." "Why are you here?" Tulippaw asked. "I found our mother." he answered. Tulippaw's heart stopped in her throat.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Tulippaw glanced at her brother. "Are you sure that you found her?" Lavapaw nodded. "I'm postitive. She was the same cat who came to me in a dream..." Tulippaw cocked her head at him. He shook his head. "I'll tell you about it later. Hey, where are you going?" he asked, because Tulippaw had gotten up. "Looking for a mud puddle. Don't want to cause trouble with Shadowclan." Tulippaw replied. She found a large puddle and rolled around in it until her scent was thoroughly covered by the mud. She got out of the puddle and began to follow Lavapaw to Shadowclan. They neared quickly, and Lavapaw showed her to the warrior's den. They slowly crept into the den, trying not to step on the dry pine needles that littered the nests and the ground. Lavapaw went over to a light pink she-cat and whispered something in her ear. The she-cat stirred, and Lavapaw beckoned Tulippaw over. "Tulippaw, this is Petalfoot." he itnroduced. "She's our mother." he added softly. "Tulippaw! It is you!" Petalfoot wrapped her tail around Tulippaw, purring. "One question though. Why did you leave us?" Petalfoot sighed. "I thought you would ask that. Let's meet by the fresh-kill pile. I don't want any cat to overhear." They began walking out of the warrior's den when there was a sudden rustling noise. Another cat!Tulippaw's ears pricked. "Get down!" Petalfoot hissed at them. Tulippaw and Lavapaw darted back into the warrior's den. "Hi, Cloudfeather." they heard Petalfoot say. "Just had to make dirt." They could see the cat called Cloudfeather nod, and head to the warrior's den. Tulippaw and Lavapaw crept out just as Cloudfeather came into the den. Luckily, they were not seen. They went straight to the fresh-kill pile, which only consisted of two frogs and five lizards. Petalfoot sat down and began. "You were born about nine moons ago. Your father, Grizzlyclaw, disagreed with me about many things, and we began fighting over pointless things constantly. When you were about two moons old, the fights took a turn for the worse, and I couldn't take it anymore. I left Riverclan for Shadowclan, and I am happy to have made that choice." She narrowed her eyes at Lavapaw, who glared at her. Tulippaw started. "You left Riverclan for your own personal gain..." Petalfoot interrupted. "No, I didn't..." "Let me speak!" Tulippaw growled. "You did leave us for your own personal gain. Do you have any idead how much teasing and everything else Lavapaw and I have gone through? At least pretend like you care about us." She turned tail and began to run from the camp. "Tulippaw..." Petalfoot meowed. Tulippaw ran so quickly that she reached Riverclan camp in no time. She ran into the apprentice's den, crawled into her nest, and fell asleep quickly.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Tulippaw awoke in the midst of chaos. She stepped out of the apprentice's den to see what was happening. From what she could see, a large dog was tearing through the camp. _I bet it's dumb Twolegs didn't tie it up properly,_ Tulippaw thought. _It doesn't look like it was here for very long._ She raced out of the den to see if she could do anything to help. As she came closer, she noticed Sagefur digging his claws into the dog's black pelt. Willowheart was defending the medicine cat den, while Cloudpool and Hollystream defended the empty nursery. The she-cats looked fierce with their claws unsheathed and ears pulled back. Grizzlyclaw jumped from a tall branch above the dog's head, landing on it. Suddenly, Tulippaw heard a cry. "Tulippaw!" She turned to the direction of the sound._ It was Hollydapple!_ The young warrior was given her warrior name a few sunrises ago. She was pinned against a wall, whiskers away from the dog's large front paws. Tulippaw ran toward they she-cat just as the dog took another large step forward. Hollydapple was now completely trapped. Tulippaw yowled, unsheathing her claws, and jumped onto the dog's leg, praying that it wouldn't start flailing and crush Hollydapple. She dug her claws in deep, slashing through skin and hitting muscle. _Disgusting. _The dog barked loudly in pain, searing Tulippaw's ears. It turned around and began to run, trying to shake Tulippaw off. Tulippaw hung on tighter. The dog began to shake its leg wildly, finally succeeding on getting Tulippaw off. She fell hard on the ground and was stunned for a few moments. She noticed Grizzlyclaw and Sagefur lying on the ground next to her, shaken off by the dog. The dog retreated, running as fast as possible through the entryway of the camp. Willowheat began to sniff each cat for wounds. Tulippaw saw her bring Sagefur in her den, Sagefur leaning heavily on her shoulder._ Mistystar!_ Tulippaw thought. She looked around the half-destroyed camp but didn't see Riverclan's leader. Tulippaw was prepared for the worst until she heard the Clan leader's voice. "All cats old enough to swim gather to hear my words." _She's going to have a meeting about Clan security,_ Tulippaw thought. "This attack from the dog was unexpected, and most of our camp is in ruins. We must be cautious of the other Clans." Mistystar warned. "There is one other thing I would like to do. There is an apprentice here who should have earned her warrior name a while ago. I have talked with her mentor, and she agrees with me. Hollydapple has also given me some information that ends my choice. Tulippaw, come forward." Tulippaw jumped to her feet and tried to calmly pad up to Mistystar. When she stood beside Mistystar, Mistystar meowed, "Tulippaw, you have been through quite a bit, and you deserve your warrior name. From this moment on, you will be known as Tulipleaf. We welcome you as a full member of Riverclan." She touched her muzzle to Tulipleaf's head. "Along with that, can Petalpaw, Sakurapaw, and Leafpaw come forward?" The three apprentices rushed to Mistystar. She in turn gave each of them their warrior names: Petalmoon, Sakuraleaf, and Leafcloud. "Tulipleaf! Petalmoon! Sakuraleaf! Leafcloud!" the Clan cheered. Tulipleaf's heart could burst with joy. _I just wish Lavapaw were here._


End file.
